title: Identification of injury-induced mitotic cells in adult rat cerebral cortex by neuron-specific markers.
abstract: Adult rat brains were injured by partial decortication. Four days later, the brains were examined for mitotic cells that were immunostained for neuronal markers: the neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and neurofilaments (NF). Of the 30 rats stained for NSE, 15 were found to have NSE-positive cells containing mitotic figures; of the 25 rats stained for NF, 12 possessed NF-positive cells in mitosis. Most of the mitotic neurons were granule cells and small- and medium-size pyramidal cells and were located in cortical layer III within 500 microns from the wound margin. Although a rare phenomenon, mitosis of neurons in the neocortex of mature mammalian brains may reflect neuronal plasticity in response to injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D007382:Intermediate Filaments / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase